Behold, non-wimpy asparagus!
Normally I don’t consider asparagus to be one of the most exciting vegetables, but it always surprises me every time I make it. I enjoy it way more than I think I do. A simple, light sauté leaves it tender, but still crisp and fresh. I find it turns out best when I cook it a bit less time than I think I should. Less is more with this guy! I’ve made the mistake of cooking the hell out of it in the past and it’s something I try not to repeat.
A few notes about asparagus:
- Look for firm spears that don’t bend easily. Asparagus doesn’t tend to last very long, so it’s best consumed within 48 hours of purchasing. When you bring it home, wrap the stems in a damp paper towel to extend freshness.
- Asparagus may aid in digestion thanks to its inulin content which is said to function as a “prebiotic”
- In 1 cup of raw asparagus you’ll receive Vitamin K (69.6% Daily Value), Vitamin A (20.2% DV), Folate (17.4% DV), Iron (15.7% DV), Vitamin B1 (12.6% DV), Vitamin C (12.5% DV), 3 grams protein, 2.75 grams fibre, and more.
- It can act as a diuretic causing you to lose more fluid than normal. Be sure to get enough water throughout the day.
- Asparagus is anti-inflammatory thanks to its large composition of anti-inflammatory nutrients.
- Source: World’s Healthiest Foods
Since spring produce seems to be picking up speed around here, I’m celebrating my first spring recipe of the season today – a warm spring salad featuring asparagus, leek, peas, strawberries, and lots of parsley all tossed in a simple lemon olive oil dressing. Easy, light, and super refreshing. If you’d like to add even more protein than what the quinoa + veggies provide I’m sure it would be nice with some white beans, chickpeas, or French lentils thrown in too. Eric also suggested we sprinkle some seeds on top – pumpkin and hemp – and that was a very nice addition!
Keep in mind that the strawberries will turn the quinoa a pinkish hue once tossed. If this is a concern or if you are making this in advance, I suggest adding the strawberries on just before serving.
Cheers to crunchy, fresh spring salads!
Warm Spring Salad
Vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, soy-free
Email, text, or print this recipe
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients:
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa (or try speltberries, but note they are not GF)
- 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 leek, sliced into rounds or half moons
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 bunch asparagus, ends broken off and chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 1 cup diced strawberries (optional)
- 3/4 cup fresh or frozen peas
- 1 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped
- 2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, to taste
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tbsp pure maple syrup (or other sweetener)
- 1/4 tsp fine grain sea salt & lots of pepper, to taste
- lemon zest, for garnish
1. Rinse quinoa in a fine mesh strainer and place into a medium pot. Add 1.5 cups vegetable broth (or water) and bring to a low boil. Reduce heat to low-medium, cover with tight-fitting lid, and cook for 15-17 minutes, or until fluffy and all the water is absorbed. Fluff with fork, remove from heat, and let sit covered for 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, grab a very large skillet or wok. Sauté the leek and garlic in the oil for about 5 minutes over medium heat. Season generously with salt and pepper. Add in the asparagus and sauté for another 5-10 minutes or until the asparagus is just tender, but still a bit crisp. Stir in the strawberries (optional), peas, and parsley. Heat for a few minutes and then remove from heat.
3. Whisk together the dressing ingredients (olive oil, lemon juice, maple syrup, and 1/4 tsp fine grain sea salt) to taste. Pour dressing onto skillet mixture and stir in the cooked quinoa. Season to taste with salt and pepper & enjoy! This would also be lovely with nuts or seeds sprinkled on top.
Oh, I forgot to mention – this is also fantastic served cold too!
Ooh, this looks great! I think I have all of these ingredients too. They were meant for other recipes, but who cares about that.
This looks delicious, Angela. I have snow peas in the fridge, so I’m going to use those. I also have green onions, not sure if they can be a substitute for leeks but hope so!
I made your black bean and potato nachos over the weekend and used a cilantro pepper cashew cream sauce. They went over very well!!!
Green onions would be a great sub.
So glad the potato nachos turned out for you! Thanks for letting me know :)
Adding green onions is a great idea, actually! =)
I can’t wait for asparagus and strawberries to make an appearance at my farmers market. I’m ready for spring recipes and this definitely makes the list!
This is perfect and so timely! My boyfriend had the world’s most pathetic asparagus salad this weekend (literally- lettuce and a few spears) and I’d love to redeem the veggie with a more worthy salad this week. Thanks!
Love this recipe, especially since it is really not warm at all yet, but also not below freezing either! Love the colours!
This looks INSANELY good! I just happen to have some fresh asparagus that I was going to pair with roasted garlic but I’m kind rethinking that now!
The last 1-2 weeks leading up to figure competitions, the only veggie I can have is asparagus. You can imagine the smell… LOL! But it’s a high-protein veggie and a diuretic, so it’s like body building super food.
It kind of ruined it for me outside of those couple of weeks, but this combo looks too good not to try! I love the leek + strawberry combo.
This looks fantastic! I have some asparagus sitting in my fridge right now (that’s definitely been there longer than 48 hours) so I might just have to switch up my plan and make this for dinner.
Thanks for a delicious looking recipe :)
Such a photogenic salad :) I will try this one for sure!
I love the photography for this post! It just so happens that I bought strawberries, peas and asparagus as part of my weekly grocery trip yesterday and it is leek season where I live. Looks like this salad will be my lunch at some point in the very near future!
I always look forward to your posts, Angela. Your ‘go-to kale salad’ is a favourite in our home. I really appreciate the mix of flavors and ingredients I would normally not try myself. I will be making this one…
So…I’m guessing the asparagus I ate last night that I bought in March probably wasn’t the best idea? I hate wasting food and I found them at the bottom of my produce drawer in the fridge so I just at the still intact tips but they were a bit wimpy. :)
I have always been a tad scared of Asparagus so thank you for the useful tips, you make it slightly less intimidating. I think I’ll have to give it a go!
Lovely photography in this post!
I will save this recipe for when the strawberries are in season here in Sweden. Shouldn’t be more than a couple of months away now… oh, summer, please arrive soon!
This is a beautiful salad with so much colour. I bet those leeks give it such a nice fresh taste. You’re lucky spring is picking up in your area, there’s a snowstorm happening outside my window right now! I need this salad to make me think of spring. :)
The salad looks really delicious. I love all the ingredients you used and will definitely try this very soon :)
This looks delicious! I love asparagus, its a sure sign that spring is here. I really like the idea of combining it with strawberries and peas to give it a spring feel.
I absolutely love salads with strawberries and quinoa, but I’ve never tried asparagus in my salad. Can’t wait to give this a try! By the way, the pictures are gorgeous!
Love warm salads! Especially for this weird in-between weather we have going on!
Such a great spring recipe! I love the combination of citrus, sweet and savory/bitter from the asparagus. I’ll have to try this one out. Thanks for sharing Angela :)
Your pictures are beyond beautiful. I just bought a bunch of asparagus last night. Its one of my fav quick cook veggies.
Yes, please! So perfect for spring!
What a beautiful looking salad. I’m going to make this tonight for dinner
Thank you so much for that recipe! The pictures are absolutely beautiful, better than in cook books! Keep up the good work, that inspires me so much!
Lots of Love, Teresa Valentina
This looks awesome!! I can’t wait to try it out.
I always love your recipes but these pictures are just amazing!
Gorgeous, gorgeous salad! I am loving warm salads lately, spring still has not shown it’s lovely face yet! The combination of strawberries and asparagus… YUM!
Oh, this sounds delicious! I love asparagus — my dad and I both think it’s the cat’s pajamas even though our respective spouses beg to differ — and I love the idea of combining it with strawberries, quinoa, and lemon (which are, incidentally, some of my other favorite foods). What a divine combination! :)
Strawberries in salads is one of my new favorite things! This looks delish!
The perfect spring salad for this sunny afternoon!
Looks great, I must try this!
Oh, I am so in love with this! Beautiful and perfect. :)
Beautiful photos!!! This salad looks incredible. I cannot wait to make it.
Yum! It must be asparagus salad season. Yours is the fourth recipe I’ve seen this morning using asparagus and strawberries in a salad! Must be a great combo for a reason. This looks so refreshing! Will have to make it soon.
This looks and sounds wonderful!!
Yum!! Just made this for lunch and had it over a bed of spinach. I didn’t have any leeks but I thought they were green onions in the picture anyhow and it still tasted great. Yummy warm spring salad since we got a few inches of snow today!
I don’t think I’ve ever came by your blog and saw something that didn’t look amazing. This looks delicious and perfect for spring! I wish I had some for lunch! Yum!
So much green color! Perfect to raise our excitement for summer!
Looks incredible Angela. So simple, yet full of nutrients. Definitely a hearty salad that would be great as a leftover for lunches. Great post : )
Love asparagus. Have some in the fridge.
Love the Anthro plate. Have some in my prop closet.
What a pretty, green, lovely spring salad!
Ooh this sounds lovely Ange! Tell Eric great call on the hemp and pumpkin seeds. Like you, I don’t consider asparagus one of my fave beggies, but I’ve also been getting my fill of it lately, mainly because it’s (almost) in season! Beautiful pics!
How come you have strawberries already?! I’m so jealous. I can’t wait til I see them at the farmer’s market. Then I’ll be making this salad!
What a gorgeous salad!! I am loving asparagus right now!
This sounds amazing! I love asparagus but didn’t know all of those stats on it so thank you for sharing :) I’ll definitely be trying this recipe soon.
no mention of asparagus one downside for part of the population:asparagus urine. it appears as though only some people have smelly urine after they eat asparagus (they don’t seem too clear on exactly what causes the smell). it also appears as though only some people are able to smell asparagus urine. both ‘skills’ are likely genetic and don’t always go hand in hand in the same person. since i’ve probably only eaten asparagus once or twice in my life and only found out about all of this within the last week, i sense a personal experiement in the works!
Thank you for sharing the info about asparagus. I love them but haven´t had them now as a RAW VEGAN! Love your pics though :) Have a Lovely day. Hugs from Amsterdam!
Strawberries and quinoa seems like quite the delectable spring combination!
Thanks for the asparagus cooking tips. The salad looks filling and easy. Love it.
Love everything about this salad! Thanks for sharing.
Peas, strawberries and asparagus all in one pretty spring salad that can be eaten hot or cold….fabulous!!